©
By Austin Wright
For the first time in more than a decade, the American Automobile Association projects a decline in Fourth of July holiday travel compared with the previous year.
In Virginia, the number of people traveling 50 miles or more is expected to decrease nearly 3 percent, according to AAA.
The association blames gas prices.
“It’s possible we may hit the $4-dollar mark over the holiday weekend,” said Georjeane Blumling, the vice president of public relations for AAA Tidewater Virginia. “Gas tends to go up over holiday weekends.”
At this time last year, a gallon of regular gasoline cost Virginia drivers $2.81. This year, a gallon costs $3.99.
Those numbers are a couple cents lower in Hampton Roads.
Still, AAA projects that more than 13 percent of Virginians will celebrate the holiday away from home.
“There will be a lot of troopers out on the highways,” Virginia State Police Sgt. Michelle Cotten said. “Anytime that you have a holiday with more traffic there comes more issues and problems.”
She said state police would be enforcing Virginia’s new “Move-over law,” which took effect July 1 and says that when drivers approach emergency vehicles with their lights flashing, motorists should move to a lane not adjacent to the emergency vehicle. If that’s not possible, drivers should slow down.
“State police are stepping up their efforts,” Cotten said.
To ease traffic, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has suspended road maintenance that causes temporary lane closures on major highways until Monday, though long-term construction zones will remain in place.
Last Fourth of July holiday weekend, 18 people died on Virginia’s roads, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. In 2006, 22 people died.
Austin Wright, (757) 446-2667, austin.wright@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
Accidents . . .
Well, I'm glad that several of VB's finest were there at the scene of the five car accident on Shore Drive that happened just as the fireworks were ending. Didn't appreciate waiting in traffic for over an hour to pass the scene, but that is part of the package when people get careless on packed roads. The police did what they had to do . . .
georges - paranoid??
I heard GW was behind the world trade tower too.
I'll be slammed by the usual Who Cares Crowd, but ...
... I just wanna know, did the copy desk go home erly last nite? Do editers think reeders are stoopid? Do we need to see a dollor sine ($4) and then have dollor spelt out? This is just one of a coupla things that should have been fixt in this story. I'm gonna splain. Some linguists say informal speaking, couple without "of" might be OK. Written Inglish (as expected in newspaper), couple should have "of." "Couple cents" is informal speaking style, if that's what you like. In newspaper, should be good example of Inglish, should be "couple of cents."
Obey the laws = avoiding encounters with the police
It is real simple folks. But yes, just like in the general population, you've got good people and bad people, and all it takes is just a few bad ones to get a lot of bad press going. If you treat them very politely, don't get smart with them in any way and do as they tell you, you won't get in trouble with them. It is that simple folks. This weekend they'll be out there trying to keep our highways safe. I wish them and everyone else a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.
We all hve different experiences
We all have different experiences with the NPD, sorry I didn't mean to make mine sound all that negative. Yes, there were some good cops, but when they are bad, they are really bad, and YOU are at their mercy.
to "edwards88711"
You ever wonder why state and local police are the way you say they are? It's because they have to deal with people like yourself and your nasty, sarcastic, pessimistic, condescending, I do no wrong attitudes. Those guys get zero respect, and you have proven it right here for all to read. But wait, let's see who you call first when someone steals something from you or is breaking into your house or garage. If you're doing nothing wrong then you don't have to worry about them telling you what to do, or not to do. Do yourself and everyone else a favor, do a ride-a-long one night and see what they put up with everyday. If you hadn't already figured, I did that job for 4 1/2 years from 89-94 in an western Hampton Roads city.
Generally Obey the Law
Obey the law and you won't get stopped. I've had two tickets in my life; both of them for speeding. I prepaid them both. I didn't argue that I was driving with traffic or make up other excuses. I made a choice to speed and I got caught. Over twenty years have passed since I've been stopped by the police and I drive at least 500 miles per week. I don't exactly drive the speed limit, but I stay within 10 miles an hour of it. I also pay attention and don't do foolish things behind the wheel. Seems like since I decided to generally follow the rules, my negative experience with the police has ended. Go figure --personal responsibility-- what a concept.
Give the Cops a Break, Why Don't 'Cha?
Twenty or thirty years ago there probably were a lot of high school drop outs on the force. Now most police officers have a college degree. I have two nephews with the Md. State Police who have degrees in Economics and are extremely bright and eager to help their community. Stop lumping a couple of bad apples, which are in every single profession, into the entire police force. It's not fair and extremely ignorant. Personally, I have never had a bad experience with any officer and many kind ones.
Priorities
it is so nice to know that all crime has stopped, all crimes solved and the various police departments throughout Virginia and the nation have nothing better to do than harrass law abiding citizens while ignoring the idiots on the roads.
With that said, I truly hope that those of you lumping all cops in to the same bad barrel are never in need of one.
There was a time
There was a time when I had about 50 part time NPD on my payroll. What an experience! They hated working for a civilian, even at the high price per hour they were being paid, my experience ran from some really great offices to more that were nothing short of high school bullies. It was hard for them to grasp that I hired them so I could fire them. It was also hard for them to grasp that they worked for me, and I could tell them what I needed them to do. The mentality of the majority was childish. They wanted and thought they could do what they wanted when they wanted it. When one had to be fired, I paid the price of constant harassment. I was pulled over for the dumbest things, and costantly followed. It left me with a very negative opinion of the NPD, and still to this day. It takes a special mentality to become a cop, arrogant, inmature, bullies, and the list of character flaws goes on. The number of bad cops out w